Echoes of the Struggle Quotes

“But what's braver?' Emmanuel said. 'Naming the bigots and possibly being killed for it? Or living in silence in order to protect yourself and those you love?'
I think bravery had more to do with making the choice and less to do with the choice it self. In that situation, bravery was both living and dying.”
― Janelle Gray, Echoes of the Struggle

“It’s infuriating that yesterday, my father had to pull all my younger cousins into a room and tell them to be more careful. He had to explain that in some cases, their brown skin convicts them before an offense is even committed.”
― Janelle Gray, Echoes of the Struggle

“Back then, Black churches were a small piece of peace. Church was a world where, even with its imperfections, the offer of equality and common humanity was the sustenance needed to make it through the rest of the week in a society that deemed them less than human.”
― Janelle Gray, Echoes of the Struggle

“I watched as people went to the memorial reading the names. I started at the first entry from 1954. I read each one quietly but out loud to myself, like I’d done with the names of those in the museum. I felt somehow they were getting the message that their sacrifice was known and their voice was heard.”
― Janelle Gray, Echoes of the Struggle

“Our history, America’s history, has been so heavily edited. In history classes, we don’t really go into full discussions about the past. People, struggles, and triumphs have been erased. As a result, we now have a generation, my generation, of people who are intelligent but ignorant of and blind to the truth.”
― Janelle Gray, Echoes of the Struggle